Democrat Milissa Holland lost her race for the Florida House to Republican Travis Hutson by 1,870 votes, or 2.35 percentage points, out of more than 63,000 votes cast.

Hutson did not win that race. Holland’s own party in Flagler County lost it for her, revealing a severely dysfunctional, confused and dissention-riven party organization that led one of its top officials to describe it as “comatose.”

Absent serious soul-searching and reorganization, it is difficult to foresee a local Democratic organization capable of producing viable new candidates for any office, especially in light of the more effective Republican organization, or of Local Democrats joining Florida’s slight and belated move to the center, despite a county where political divisions by registration are among the most even in the state.

Holland herself is not without responsibility for the defeat. She started her race late. She could have been more directly involved in ensuring that the right calls for help went to the right people, assertively. She was spread too thin, continuing to serve on the county commission, the Tourist Development Council and regional boards, and launching the enormously time-consuming Feed Flagler operation she’s led for the past four years just as the campaign was cresting. “At the end of the day,” she says, “I was the candidate, there’s no question I take full responsibility.”

But interviews with members of Holland’s campaign, Democratic Party officials and other Democrats leave few doubts where their party’s fault lines are. It is becoming clear that Holland’s small margin of defeat would likely have been overcome had Holland not faced obstacles from the very people and party structure she should have been able to depend on most. In sharp contrast with Republicans, it is indicative of the Democratic Party’s indifference to its local candidates that while Hutson got a $25,000 cash infusion from his party in the waning days of the campaign, Holland got a $100 check, in October, from the Flagler County Democratic Executive Committee.

Dysfunction and Dissention

Money wasn’t necessarily the issue. Holland fended off a bruising primary challenge from Doug Courtney, an old nemesis, and never got a congratulatory phone call from Dan Parham, who heads the Democratic Executive Committee, when she won. Nor has Parham called Holland since she lost (he said he hasn’t gotten around to it), also an indication of loose reins at the top that help explain why Flagler’s local Democratic structure failed to organize properly on Holland’s behalf: It focused disproportionately on the Obama campaign, responded poorly or none at all to requests for help from the Holland campaign, did not canvass on her behalf, and failed to turn out Democrats in anywhere near the numbers that turned out four years ago. Overall turnout in Flagler was 72 percent, compared with 82 percent four years ago, a dismal result that contrasts with near-record turnouts in Florida.

Flagler County, along with Volusia, have the distinction of being the only Florida counties to have voted Obama in 2008, and Romney in 2012. Flagler switched by a far greater margin, just as its Democratic registration advantage in 2008 switched to a 1,200-voter Republican advantage by this November—all indications of a Democratic Party structure in disarray. The dysfunction was apparent even in the primary, when Parham sent a congratulatory email on Aug. 15, when the results were in: He cited the win by Melissa Moore-Stens, a candidate for county court judge and a Democrat, who, Parham wrote, “qualified for the general election run-off.”

Parham never mentioned the other Democrat who’d also qualified for the run-off: Craig Atack. And he never sent a follow-up email correcting the omission. Atack lost the run-off by 984 votes.

There was another flub. When Parham sent out a congratulatory email on Wednesday (“We did it! President Obama will have a 2nd term!”), he thanked the Obama for America office first, congratulated local Democratic winners, and thanked Democrats who ran. And he neglected to mention County Commission Chairman Barbara Revels and School Board member Colleen Conklin, who’d won during the primary (Revels was unopposed), and Jules Kwiatkowski, who won a mosquito control seat (Democrats take them where they can get them).

Parham had to send an apology email this evening. “Although late,” he wrote, you are not any less appreciated for having run and retained your office.” It hasn’t felt that way for Democrats.

“We are comatose. I’d accept that claim,” says Merrill Shapiro, president of the Flagler County Democratic Club, which operates under the authority of the executive committee but has little interaction with it. “They have excited their base, and we are comatose.”

Republicans’ HQ

By they, Shapiro meant the Republicans, who’ve had their own struggles in Flagler—and who were at each other’s throats for much of the year—but who, between the activism of the tea party, the Ronald Reagan club and the traditional Republican organization, powered up their ranks far more effectively and intelligently than did the Democrats. One example spoke volumes: Democrats were proud of having an Obama headquarters on Palm Coast Parkway, for the local Obama For America campaign. But the paid staffer there did not know that the Ronald Reagan club—its most potent opponent—even existed. And local Democratic candidates, Holland said, were forbidden from having their materials there.

The Republican campaign headquarters at the Staples shopping center was a different story. It caught some glare from a juvenile hissy fit between a Ronald Reagan club official and a Republican Party official’s wife, but the headquarters were an otherwise welcoming bazaar of Republican campaigns, open to all. The message was clear: the Republican Party stood with its candidates.

But Democrats, beyond Obama, were on their own.

Not coincidentally, Democrats remain an endangered species in Florida, despite their few pick-ups in the Florida House and Senate. And they’re in the minority on every single local government board—losing their last majority when Holland’s seat on the county commission went to Frank Meeker, who’s not only a Republican, but a very active Republican party operative. Parham sees Democrat Jim Manfre’s defeat of Republican Don Fleming, for sheriff, as a pick-up, and among constitutional officers, it is, but overall, Democrats’ fortunes fell: Holland was running for a newly House seat that for the first time in 50 years had Flagler as its core. It was another Republican pick-up.

Hutson did very well in St. Johns County, his home county, pulling 59 percent of the vote there, and did almost as well in Volusia, with 58 percent of the vote there. But those two counties accounted for exactly half the vote count. The other half was all in Flagler County, where the real battle was fought. Holland carried 54 percent of the vote to Hutson’s 44 percent (with Michael Cornish, an independent, taking under 3 percent). It was not enough for Holland to overcome Hutson’s advantage in the two other counties.

“We looked at the numbers and knew exactly what happened,” Holland said, citing a dearth of backing from the local Democratic structure.

Dejà Vu

Barbara Revels, a Democrat who chairs the Flagler County Commission and supported Holland’s campaign, knew exactly what Holland was going through, having had the same struggles in her own race for the commission four years ago. “You’re basically on your own, in high contrast by the way opposing party handles that,” Revels said. There wasn’t a single day of early voting, she said, when Republicans weren’t at the library voting location, informing voters on how to vote Republican. Democrats weren’t there doing the same. Republicans, she says, got their vote out. Democrats did not, except for Obama.

Some 2,600 fewer people voted in the Holland-Hutson campaign than did in the presidential race in Flagler. Had those people—who actually went to the polls and cast a ballot—voted for Hutson and Holland in the same proportions as remaining voters did, Holland would have picked up 1,400 additional votes.

Revels has pleaded with the Democratic Executive Committee to be more active on behalf of local candidates. “Don’t forget your local people,” she’d tell the party structure. “I couldn’t get any traction with that in ‘08 after the election. I’m saying it again. I doubt I’ll get any attention with it again.”

Ironically, Holland, who made much of her bi-partisan support in Flagler, had four fund-raisers hosted by Republican supporters. She had none hosted by Democrats.

Shapiro on Thursday held a meeting with Democratic Club members that included discussions of just such issues, he said when interviewed afterward. “It is true, we as a club do not feel that we were sufficiently well organized, and we were spread too thin,” he said. “We’ve had internal arguments over whether to concentrate over some campaigns and let other ones go, if they didn’t have a chance. That notion was voted down.” And it was proven wrong in some eyes, he said, when Kathleen Trued, who challenged John Thrasher, the powerful Republican incumbent, got 47 percent of the vote in Flagler County (but only 41 percent district-wide).

On the other hand, Shapiro said, “I’m not aware of any request that came from the Holland campaign, and those of us who would have liked to be involved did not receive any request, and would have gladly been involved.” Poor communication from the Holland campaign appears to have been an issue, too: emails alone are not the way to solidify backers. Nevertheless, Shapiro added, it should not have depended on phone calls from the Holland campaign. “We have not done our job,” he said, “and we’re going to make sure that never happens again.”

Dan Parham’s Exceptions

Parham takes issue with Shapiro’s assessment of a “comatose” Democratic Party and vehemently disputes suggestions that the executive committee failed Holland.

“Merrill doesn’t have too much contact with the party, Merrill runs the Democratic Club, but the club doesn’t really interact too much with the DEC,” Parham said. “We were going up to an election and I didn’t want to split the party or maybe lose some support, so I let it go. But Merrill and the club didn’t really do anything to help the party.” He was critical of Revels, too: “Barbara didn’t come over and get herself involved with the party either, so you’re talking about someone who did not know what we were doing at the Democratic office.”

But what was the Democratic Party doing? Parham is well aware of the tensions created, ironically, by the presence of the Obama For America office in the county: it drew the interest of most volunteers, siphoning support from other candidates. But Parham said he was not going to step on any campaign’s toes. “Milissa, I spoke to her a couple of times and I said, if you need something, let me know, but unless they reach out, I don’t interfere with people’s campaign, they run them the way they want it to run,” Parham said.

Holland said Parham, who never so much as friended her campaign page on Facebook, never once called her on the phone. The two spoke briefly, in passing, she said, at three events, including the Creekside Festival and a Grand Haven function hosted by Art Dycke, Grand Haven’s Democratic leader. And, Holland said, her campaign sent numerous emails to the Democratic Executive Committee calling for volunteers, and asking the committee to fan out the email to its members (the committee does not give its list to candidates).

“We were constantly asking for volunteers. We had a pretty sizeable email list and we were regularly asking people to phone bank and go door to door,” Jason DeLorenzo, a Palm Coast City Council member who worked closely on Holland’s campaign, said. “The party leadership was on the mailing of all communications, so they should have been aware that we were looking for volunteers.”

But Parham grew more defensive as the interview went on, and as he was pressed for details of how, beyond the offers of help, the Democratic Party functionally was willing or able to help local candidates. He said Manfre and Heather Beaven, for example, got help because they asked for it.

“But no, I will not take the responsibility for having lost the campaign in Flagler County, and it’s not the party that lost it for her,” Parham said. “Milissa Holland was a candidate, she had to inspire the people to come out and work for her.”

Parham added: “Merrill needs to come and talk to me also, in fact he needs to come and talk to me right now. The club that was supposedly being a big force out there was not the force. They weren’t doing what I was hoping they were going to do. They were not putting out the people, all those people that were coming to their meetings were not going and working for the candidates, and I have a couple of committees, I won’t speak their names, who talked to me about that.”

To Parham, Nov. 6 was a success despite Flagler’s switch in the presidential race. The effort here, Parham said, was to minimize the margin with Mitt Romney, and that was done. It’s an odd way of looking at a party’s responsibility—a way that eliminates any need to explain a loss, since even a 40-60 margin against Romney could have been explained as better than a 30-70 margin, and it doesn’t explain the dramatic reversal from 2008 in a state that still held for the president.

“I’m Not Going to Do Too Much Soul Searching”

But as Parham talked, it was also clear where his priorities were. “To be completely candid about it, it was president Obama who was exciting the people, and most of them wanted to go and work in his campaign,” Parham said. “And the most important campaign was Obama’s campaign, in spite of what the other candidates may think. But to anyone who came around, I also stressed the local campaigns.”

“We have some readjustments to do, but quite frankly I’m not going to do too much soul searching,” Parham said. “There are problems here, but I don’t see it as a bigger problem than other counties that are not heavily Democratic counties, like some other counties in the south. For our county here, I don’t see it as a bigger deficit as far as what Democrats need to do. We’ve got some problems, yes.”

He continued: “We could have done things more comprehensively, but I won’t say that would have allowed Milissa to win. I’ll talk to Milissa about that. she’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.”

Parham did concede that the party has issues, but he blamed it on apathy that applies to both parties, while problems beyond that were not to be discussed just yet. “There are things that need to be brought up into the 21st century here, some rules need to be adjusted, there are confusing lines of authority that have to be clarified, so I’ll do it,” Parham said. “Before I step down as chair, I will rectify what I need to rectify. I won’t go into it here, because I really don’t want it out in the news media until it’s done.”

Only one thing unites all local Democrats, including Parham, Shapiro and Revels, regardless of their differences: they all want Holland to run again, and to do it now. As Revels put it, whether “backward to the commission or forward to the State House,” the next election cycle comes up very fast, and Holland’s road should be “one year of planning, one year of running.”

Holland’s Future

Holland won’t make a decision on what’s next just yet. She congratulated Hutson and wished him well in a phone call, and urged him to represent Flagler County well. But it’s also clear that the county is in her blood, its issues never far from her concerns.

Asked directly what her plans were, she said: “I don’t have an answer for that. I’m certainly going to focus on getting through Feed Flagler and the holidays. I’ve been working diligently without a break for well over six years in regard to the work on the commission. I’m going to take some time and catch up on some rest and other things I just want to do with my kids, my husband. So that’s yet to be seen on what is next—my next chapter—but I always believe that things always happens for a reason, and I think it will become apparent for me when the timing is right, where I go from here.”

How dare you blame the Democratic Party! LOOK in the mirror…YOU were the candidate… YOU lost the election…YOU didn’t ask for help because you were so cocky to think you didn’t need anyone’s help, you thought you were riding on your name. Well guess what? YOUR OUT!!! The people didn’t vote for you, get over it!

Melissa is right, everything happens for a reason. The true reason for her lost was her selfishness. If Melissa truly wanted to propel and fight for Flagler County at the state level, she should have backed Doug Courtney. Unfortunately, her ego lead her to debunk Doug, that would have been a much stronger candidate against Hutson, and ultimately lead to knocking out both democratic candidates from defeating Hutson. If Melissa would have supported Doug and the notion of winning the newly created state seat, she would have kept her position as a county commissioner, Doug would have most likely won, and everyone would have been content. But, the egoism ruined it all. It is not all about you Melissa, you need to work and help your fellow party members, help them to victory also. Like any other club or organizations, there will always be issues, but they can be minimized and resolved if we all just work together for the common causes and help one another.

First of all I’d like to applaud you for not knowing a thing about what you’re talking about. Milissa Holland is the least selfish person in this county or district. She puts others first, and that’s how it’s always been. The Democratic Party are the ones at fault. She was clearly the better candidate. Doug Courtney would have ran this place to the ground within a month. He knows absolutely nothing about this district nor does Mr. Hudson. Milissa was not ‘cocky’ she took a risk for her county. Not for herself. She wanted Flagler to have the opportunity to have someone represent them in Tallahassee. Things happen, but don’t blame a kind hearted women for wanting something big. Have a good day and next few years with Hudson doing absolutely nothing for you or this county.

Donna, some of these democratic candidates only appear at the Democratic meetings ONLY when they want something. Otherwise, they are never to be seen. And ask them if they ever give back to the club or do something for the club. Just ask Barbara Revels.

In 2004 I was on the Kerry legal team and Flagler County was well known as the place where the local Democratic Committee did things their own way. Three coordinators came and went from Flagler County because the powers too be refused to work WITH the Kerry campaign. The mantra was “we’ve never done it that way before so we’re not going to do it that way now.” I had hoped that 8 years would have changed that uncooperative stand. But I guess maintaining one’s power is more important.

The Democratic party organization in Flagler County is a pathetic mess. It needs new leadership. Leadership intent on finding and backing candidates for all races. People interested in rolling up their sleeves and getting to work on ALL campaigns. I’d say a house cleaning is in order. Lead, follow or get out of the way. Apparently, it’s only goal today is being a part time social club.

I am a registered democrat and I did not vote for Mellissa Holland. There is a large group of us that will never vote for her. She ridiculed others because they came from a wealthy family….…Did she forget that she did as well. I do not believe that she has any idea what the citizens of Flagler County need. At most of her fund raisers there were more republicans than democrats because she invited them there to endorse her. I really hope she tries to find a real job and stops running for public office. I met her one time and after that meeting I believe that SHE lost her own race.

Doug Courtney was never a viable option. His baggage would have been provided plenty of campaign fodder for the Republican Party; baggage that they have waiting in their back pocket in case needed. You apparently weren’t around when he was asked to step down from previous town clerk’s jobs. Millissa is a far superior candidate in every way and I hope she has learned from her mistakes and tries again.

@DoubleGator

Where do I sign up for your envisioned house cleaning. Are there more of us out there?

The purpose of the local DECs is to support and assist any and all LOCAL Democratic candidates for office. If Parham really said that Obama’s is campaign more important, he still doesn’t know or understand what his function is as chair of the DEC.

Parham never understood that politics can be a nasty business, but persisted in the notion that we should all just get along and not say bad things about our opponents. There are numerous workshops and books available on how to run campaigns that he apparently never availed himself of. Allowing non-Democrats into the DEC is not only against the rules, but downright stupid. Open to everyone is the purpose of the Democratic Club.

One suggestion to the DEC would be to rid themselves of the local office. It is impossible to see from the road, impossible to find, and you can’t get into it even if you are lucky enough to find it. If you can’t get a more convenient and central location, then do without and save the money for the 2014 campaigns. This is the year to oust the governor and to give Ms. Holland another shot for a successful campaign. Learn for your mistakes, not repeat them.

Ms. Holland could have done a better job here in Flagler County. As a contributor to local races and on Democratic mailing lists, I should have been contacted for Democratic fund-raisers as in years past. I received only one invitation this year and, although I can’t remember which campaign it was, it was for a contribution of $100. Give me and the rest of us poor Dems a break. We are not Republicans with deep pockets.

Mr. Parham, read the DEC by-laws and abide by them. They are there for a reason.

@ S….d Confidential.
The reason why your are poor has to do with your choices….as our re-elected President was given little chance to improve the economy by the negative opposition of your elected GOP buddies in Congress.
How could a President improve the economy to get you out of being poor, when the GOP Congressmen
(Mitch McConnell) work, not to fix our economy, but only under the banner and effort to make Obama one term President since 2008, among other pathetic platforms/goals.
Unfortunately the multitude of our voters still do not pay enough attention at their ballots and do not familiarize themselves with it, before elections and only concentrate most attention at the President and Vice box, missing to really get to know the Representatives for Congress to be elected. Those Representatives mostly little known by most that paralyze our country opposing any legislation they can, presented by Obama.
These Congressmen have two years terms and right now Dems have only 196 seats minority and we better get to know whom to vote for next time, if John Bohner, Mitch McConnell and just re-elected Paul Ryan at the head of the GOP 232 seats are going to paralyze our country again, as I see it coming to us.

The past make-up of the House and Senate doesn’t substantiate your obstructionism excuse by the GOP. Obama had total control of the Senate his entire term, and control of the House during his first 2 years. What did he accomplish with this gift handed to him on a silver platter? What exactly?

No, he, Obama, did not have it as good as Jimmy Carter who had control of both chambers – House and Senate -his entire 4 years /1 term as president. Again, what did the democrats do with that gift handed to them on a silver platter? Obama also definitely had it better than Clinton who was opposed in both chambers 6 out of his 8 years. And even Bush whose years of opposition in the Senate were 4:8 and the House 2:8. Fix the problem not the blame! But, of course, none of the problems that are important to us, the citizens of this country, will get fixed because that is not what his next 4 years is about. His presidency is all about dividing and obstructing any attempt progress.

BTW, Ms Holland, I voted for you after researching your profile and reading up on the many meaningful programs you got involved in to benefit the citizens of Flagler county. Should I remain eligible to vote in FL, you will definitely be considered for my vote again.

Since 2007 the Republicans have filibustered the Senate over 360 times. So, in fact, Obama did not have control of the Senate at any time during his adminsitration. A filibuster requires a sixty vote override.

The Dems are beginning to sound like the Ronald Regan Assembly and Republican Executive Committee, all the infighting makes for great theater. BTW I had attended a number of DEC and Dem Social Club meetings, you very rarely saw a Dem politician until it was campaign time.

At the end of the day, Milissa Holland did not campaign for this office. As one of the most visible politicians in Flagler County, perhaps she felt she didn’t need to. Everyone in the county knows her name.

But it sure would have been nice to have her show some enthusiasm in getting us to vote for her.

Looks like some of our county’s Democrats need to take their meds. They got Santa Clause re-elected so now their chewing on their own leg. Why are our county Democrats and Republicans always involved in in-fignting. Bottom line, I don’t care what’s your party affiliation, Milissa Holland is a resident of Flagler County and should have been voted in so that we would have a direct voice in Tallahassee. Now the House and Senate are racing for the cliff, maybe they should come to Flagler County so they can see how to jump off the cliff and ruin the country. Flagler voters are a few sandwiches short of a picnic. Maybe the politicians should put up signs that read Repent the End is Coming!!!!!!!!

I can not grasp the fact that some people can be so ignorant as to think they clearly know Milissa Holland. Personally, I think she is a fantastic woman. She did show a great deal of enthusiasm, and even though Flagler let her down, she still pushes and works with Feed Flagler to give back to those in need. She is a remarkable human and she should have a smile on her face for even getting out there and trying for us. I want to personally thank her for everything she does. I hope she tries again in 2 years when everyone realizes Hutson probably didn’t even know about Flagler County before this race.

Hi everyone, I know I probably shouldn’t be on these blogs considering all of these people making comments just makes me kind of sick. Milissa Holland is in my eyes the best thing that happened to this place following her dad, James. I just wanted to stop by and leave my respect for her. She is the most kind-hearted woman, and I honestly am not saying this because she is my mother. She puts others before her and does not expect basically anything in return. I love her and what she has done. Thank you so much!

Well outside the rhetoric and bickering, I think Milissa’s loss was Flagler County’s loss. She has done a great job as county commissioner and her input will be missed.

We had a chance to be represented in Tallahassee. Flagler residents too partisan to realize they were stupid to vote for the candidate from HERE are responsible for the continued lack of representation for Flagler County at our state capital.

Does anyone really think Hutson is going to push for resources here? It’s going to be #1 St Johns, #2 Volusia and we will get the crumbs.

The problem with having a TWO party system is what will be the downfall of America. Until we bring a third and fourth party option into our politics we will NEVER move forward. This BS has really gotten “OLD” .
I have had enough with American politics. From now on, I only care about how my family will SURVIVE the next twenty years in America. Time to LIQUIDATE and EVACUATE !

Thank you Flagler Live for printing/saying what I have said and been thinking for the last several weeks. I was at the Government Building for everyday of early voting for both the primary in August and the General Election the last couple of weeks. Am I a democrat? Yes, I proudly am. Am I disappointed in my local party? Yes, I am.

Everyday I saw members of the Flagler County Republican party out there at early voting at both locations and on the streets holding signs supporting the Republican candidates. And I kept asking myself, where is the democratic party?? We were no where to be seen. Sad.

Based upon the comments that Mr. Parham has given for this article I am even more upset. I believe it is time for some “new blood” to be injected into the Flagler DEC and I believe it is time for Mr. Parham to retire. I am so infuriated and disappointed that Mr. Parham can expect to meet me and hear from me in the coming weeks.

I am sorry Ms. Holland lost this election. I do believe that some fault does lie with her and the way her campaign was managed but, that does not excuse the DEC for the way they chose to approach/handle the general election. Such a let down and time for some new blood.

Carjo, I completely agree. The democrats are a hot mess. The Republicans are much more strategic and think long term. You could see it in little ways. Even having signs at the polling locations for ALL their candidates lined up. You could tell someone from the Republican Party/Club had been hard at work. Nothing like it from the Dem’s. It seems the only campaign the dem’s worked for were the federal offices like Beven and Obama. The same energy should have been put in the Holland campaign and she may have won. The party should have reached out to her. She was a viable candidate who really could have won her seat. The Beaven seat was a total long shot. Aside from her personality, the numbers and money wasn’t in her favor.
This statement just proves how screwed up the party is “Merrill doesn’t have too much contact with the party, Merrill runs the Democratic Club, but the club doesn’t really interact too much with the DEC,” Parham said. WHAT???
How the hell do you coordinate your effort if the club doesn’t really work with the party. SMH No wonder the Florida House and Senate have a majority of Republican members.

@ Kendall——very well said and I couldn’t agree more!! There are too many people out there that DO NOT THINK before acting, or let some petty disagreement or whatever color their decision. Instead of Flagler county being proud with the way these local elections went, it will stand embarrassed.

I am a life long republican, but I appreciate Milissa Holland. I believe she has been an asset to the Flagler County Board of County Commissioners. I find it disgusting how the Democratic craps on the local candidates.

All politics is local politics. With out your local leaders, your national leaders are useless. So to champion for Barack Obama and crap on Milissa Holland is a testament why the Democratic Party should never hold power.

I am disappointed at the Flagler County Democratic Party. I think Milissa Holand should do everyone a favor by re-registering as a Republican, run for the State House again and shove it up the ass of the Democratic Party who abandoned her.

Shame on you Democratic Party! Shame in you Dan Parham, you have just publicly crapped on your most prominent Democrat. Way to destroy your own party.

Mrs. Holland you lost my vote when you dessimated your own county public works department. Also on the County Commission voting out the seniority clause, the gold standard for layoffs, without any discussion or input. Many hard working , loyal people lost their job because of you. Volusia county did a far better job regarding layoffs than Flagler county and we can thank you and Mr. Haans and hatchetman Cofey for all the good jobs you haven’t brought to Flagler County.

As I know very little about either Ms. Holland or the local Democratic Party (Motto: Vote Democratic! Because it’s better to support the Spineless than the Evil”),but it sounds like I’ve seen this pattern before. In the words of one of the undisputed wielders of political power in history, “The best way to defeat the opposition is to control the opposition”.

It is obvious other Democratic candidates were successful being elected and re-elected….that tells me the voters didn’t want Milissa in office, otherwise she would have won too. Many voters vote the person and not the party. Welcome to reality.

I am and always have been a proud Democrat. I have known Milissa Holland for years. I have had many conversations with her at local events and have seen her in action on the BOCC. She has one of the most gigantic egos I have ever come in contact with. She belittles people she disagrees with and demeans people she believes she is some how better than. She is very involved in the community but there are many, not just myself, that believe she does it for selfish reasons, to feed her ego….

I did NOT vote for her and never will. And to anyone in Flagler County that has a job that may interest her, watch your backs, because she will have no problem inserting a knife in it, and then taking your job away from you.

As a life long member of the democratic party, I felt it important to vote republican in the presidential election. I do believe the democratic party in Flagler County needs to be restructured. I have met Melissa Holland. I like her and the volunteer work that she does in our community is very much appreciated. I did not vote for her for the plain and simple reason she voted for tax increases upon the citizens of this county knowing that we the tax payers are having such a hard time with this economy.